Austin's Carnaval Brasileiro Celebrates 40 Years

A look through the history of the infamous pre-Lent party

By Kimya Kavehkar

Published: February 18, 2017

Photo Courtesy Carnaval Brasileiro

Mike Quinn had a problem—at least, he thought it was a problem. He had nearly 1,000 enthusiastic samba dancers packed into the Boondocks (a now-defunct downtown nightclub) for what had been billed as a night of uninhibited celebration—Austin’s first official Carnaval Brasileiro, in 1978—but at 2 a.m. the club owner informed Quinn that they’d sold out of every drop of alcohol in the building.

Turns out, it was no problem at all. Because all the booze was gone, the revelries could continue as late as they wanted—which happened to be 4 a.m. The next day the Boondocks owner told Quinn that he would have to repaint the concrete floor. The partygoers had danced the color right off it.

It was with that spirit that Carnaval Brasileiro kicked off 40 years of rollicking pre-Lent fun in the capital city. “Right from the beginning it was a very enthusiastic and involved crowd,” Quinn says, “which I think is indicative of Austin.”

Now the event, which this year takes place Feb. 25 at the Palmer Events Center, is the largest indoor Carnaval celebration in the country, according to Quinn, with nearly 4,000 attendees. There will be live entertainment, risqué costumes, body painters, drinks, and, of course, dancing.

Homesick Brazilian students studying abroad at UT first organized the celebration in 1975. But Quinn, a local percussionist, radio DJ, writer, and Brazilophile, offered to take over the event in 1977. After that, it became an immediate hit. The second event, held at the Armadillo World Headquarters, doubled attendance from the first year, and scalpers were selling the $4 tickets on the sidewalk outside for $25, Quinn says.

In those days, Quinn notes, there wasn’t a whole lot to do in Austin, so artists, musicians, creatives, and intellectuals flocked to the wild dance party. Yet even as Austin has changed, with the city hosting an event or festival seemingly every week of the year, Carnaval remains beloved and well-attended.

Though it too has evolved, Quinn admits. “It’s not as crazy or spontaneous as it used to be,” he says. “It’s harder and harder to get people’s attention.” For this year’s event, he’s making tweaks to the lighting and layout, trying to market directly to millennials, and bringing in the party’s biggest musical act ever, singer Dandara, who’s been called the Tina Turner of Brazil.

One staple of Carnaval for the past 13 years has been a 55-minute musical theater performance by Austin Samba, the country’s largest samba group at 150 members. This year’s theme is New Orleans, which has its own popular pre-Lent party in Mardi Gras. Much as it’s done in Brazil, members of Austin Samba will tell the story of New Orleans through drumming, dancing, and elaborate costumes. “If you want to see what it’s like to be on the streets in Lapa in Rio De Janeiro—the neighborhood Lapa is where all the stuff happens—when we’re playing, that’s what it’s like,” says Austin Samba founder Robert Patterson.

Even though Austin’s buttoned up a bit since its hippie heyday, the desire to let loose and let the freak flags fly remains. “Austin’s changing,” Quinn says, “but at the same time it’s still a unique town deep down. And we’re doing our part to keep Austin weird.”